Sex, Blood and Vampires

Vampires seem to be, to borrow a phrase from the fashionistas, the new black right now. Unsurprising, really. They are hot, they don’t age, don’t need botox, and, judging from the raunchy HBO True Blood’s Bill Compton, Eric Northman and Pam, they look good in anything that’s black and leather.

The word vampire has almost become synonymous with Bram Stoker’s Dracula, one of the best-selling books of all time. Stoker’s Dracula is said to owe something to Vlad III of Wallachia who lived in the 15^th century and had a habit of impaling his victims on stakes. But Stoker’s conception of the vampire has shape-shifted and fragmented throughout the world in ways he would barely comprehend, and probably not even recognize.

Indeed, the vampire may seem to be a creature living on the margins of society, but we’ve always had a contradictory relationship with the vampire. Central to the stories humans tell each other, these creatures exist in folklore that stretch back through to ancient times. Almost every culture appears to have some sort of legend about vampires or hungry ghosts who feed on the energy of the living, in one way or another. Yet, very few of them bear any resemblance to Bela Lugosi descending the staircase, holding a flickering candle that improbably lights the cavernous great hall of his castle for the legendary cinematographer Karl Freund. And while some of these other folklores around the world are similar to the traditional Central European myths that have been incorporated into Gothic literature and cinematic lore, there are quite a few which depart from the traditional vampire lore.

The earliest account of these creatures of the night derives from Mesopotamia. Lamatsu was a serpent demon who reportedly stole children from their homes and devoured them. Another incarnation of Lamatsu appears later, in the guise of Lilith. In early Hebraic writings, Lilith took the form of a winged demon with the body of a woman with owl-like talons for feet. She was reported to be the first wife of Adam (before Eve was created). Lilith was formed of the same earth from which Adam was created, therefore, she considered herself his equal. That being the case, Lilith refused to be submissive. She was subsequently banished to the demon realm. Lilith’s offspring were damned to become demons with Lilith taking the title of “Mother of Demons.”

In China, a vampire is created when a recently deceased corpse is possessed by a demon, usually after suicide or a violent death without a proper burial. Unlike the vampires in the West, the Chiang Shih (also known as Jiang Shi) is said to be covered with white or green hair over its entire body. It is also said to have long claws, teeth and glowing red eyes. I think it’s safe to say that it is hardly an attractive specimen when compared to the highly decorative vampires of True Blood. Breathing the Chiang Shih’s breath can be lethal but apparently, it can be repelled by garlic, salt and barriers of rice, thunder or a bullet.

In the Philippines, we have the Aswang. Apparently, the Aswang appears as a beautiful woman but at night, it is compelled to seek victims. It attacks by using a long tubular tongue to drink their blood. After feeding, it appears pregnant. One of the most fearsome creatures of Malay folklore is the Pontianak, a vampire like entity, she (the Pontianak is always female) is characterized by ear-piercing shrieks, long flowing hair and a penchant for the blood of children.

In Japan, we have the Gaki. Similar to the vampires in the West, it drinks the blood of corpses and appears pale-skinned, cold with hollow features. The can also shape-shift, transforming into animals or impersonating living people. Some of the oldest can stalk their prey invisibly. In Scotland, we have the BaoBahan Sith that usually disguises itself as a beautiful maiden who preys on young men, lured the victims to their deaths through song and dance. In folklore, it is said that this vampire always dresses in green to hide their cloven feet.

The Dearg-Due is a dreaded creature of Ireland whose name means blood sucker. An ancient vampire who dates back to Celtic times, it is still feared. The only way to curb its vampiric activities is to pile stones on the grave of any who might be suspected of housing such a beast. On the other hand, the Upier, a Polish vampire, is said to sleep in blood, rise at Midday and go to sleep at Midnight. It is also said to have a barbed tongue with which it consumes large amounts of blood. The Asanbosam, West African vampires, are unlike their European cousins, preferring to live in trees rather than coffins.  They take human form but instead of feet, they have iron teeth and hooks.

Let’s face it: unfortunately, the vampires of folklore pale in comparison when compared to True Blood’s Vampire Bill, with his Southern charm or even the Viking vampire, Eric Northman, who is really interesting. In Eric Northman, we have a powerful, dangerous, yet captivating 1000-year-old, leather-wearing, club owning vampire. Compare to these other loathsome creatures of folklore, what’s not to like about these particular vampire?

Source: Skyscanner

Photo credits: HBO Inc

Charlaine Harris Discusses Her Books with ABC News

For whatever reason, people can’t get enough of vampires these days. Charlaine Harris, author of the Sookie Stackhouse series, has fans anxiously awaiting the next installment in her story, Dead in the Family, due out in May 2010. In the meantime, she will only offer teasers about what’s to come. That’s what she did in her recent interview with Cassie White from ABC News, where she also talked about the success of Twilight and her feelings about True Blood.

Charlaine suspects that people are drawn to vampires because of the intriguing notion of immortality. That eternal youth is an attractive thing. She accepts that her series is often compared to Twilight because of the human-vampire love story, but the originality of her ideas is clear given that Dead Until Dark was released before Twilight. She doesn’t think there needs to be a competition between the two series, and is in fact happy for Stephenie Meyer’s success:

“I see our series as complementing each other. I attract an older readership generally, though I think we do share quite a few readers and I’m glad of that. But I don’t think people are just going to buy one book, or go see just one vampire movie or TV show a year. I think they’re going to want to experience different shadings of offerings in those fields.”

She seems to be very gracious on this subject, holding the view that there’s plenty of vampire fandom to share!

Charlaine loves True Blood, the television adaptation of her work. She appreciates being surprised when events are different than in her books, but she is also excited when something she wrote makes it to the screen:

“Every now and then they use a line I wrote and it just tickles me pink when I hear it. And I love to see my credit at the beginning of every show.”

She has a great relationship of trust with the show’s creator, Alan Ball, and knows what it means to have your work adapted–they can change whatever they want. She put Sookie into Alan’s care because he understood the essence of the story:

“I had to hand all control over to Alan Ball. But having said that, I was pretty careful about who I handed it over to. So I really can’t complain about what he’s done and in fact I’m very happy.”

Alan did, however, get Charlaine into a bit of trouble with fans of her Southern gentleman vampire, Bill Compton, when he mentioned at the Paley Center panel with the True Blood writers that she almost killed Bill at the end of book 9, Dead and Gone:

“I did not kill Bill. Alan sort of said something at PaleyFest in an interview. He said, ‘Charlaine thought about killing Bill in the last book but she was talked out of it.’ That was something of a mis-statement and I certainly wish he hadn’t made it! In casual conversation I mentioned that had been one of the possible endings for Dead and Gone and that I’d thought about it and discarded it. But the truth is, and I think almost every writer does this, I’ve considered killing every character at one time or another, and some of them I follow through with. but some I decide I need to be alive.”

So what does that mean for Bill’s future is still pretty unclear. Charlaine did reveal that Sookie would not be having any steamy, intimate moments with her first love in book 10, but she would not explain further what are Bill’s chances for being the one for Sookie.

One question that was sent in to Charlaine by a reader for the interview was regarding a statement that Charlaine once made that she didn’t understand why so many fans love Eric so much? The reader wanted clarification to this statement since in her eyes she felt that Charlaine had written the Eric character as always being there for Sookie, fulfilling her needs, being truthful and being emotionally connected to Sookie.

“I’m not denying that’s one side of Eric, but he’s also a ruthless killer and I think some of my readers tend to forget that in their enthusiasm for his sexier habits.”

Charlaine doesn’t plays favorites when it comes to which suitor for Sookie she enjoys writing the most. She enjoys writing about all of them and that each of them have qualities that she admires otherwise she would have never created them and made them likely candidates for Sookie’s attention and affection.

SOURCES:

abc.net.au

blogs.abc.net.au

(Photo credit: Albert L. Ortego / PR Photos)

Bill And Eric On The List For The Battle Of The Hottest Vampires

In a list that is sure to start some heated arguments, GuidetoBeautySchools.com ranks the hottest male vampires of film and television. Read on to find out where your favorites from True Blood, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Twilight, and The Vampire Diaries stand, and then feel free to defend or rearrange them in the comments!

20. Stuart Townsend- Lestat, Queen of the Damned

19. Paul Wesley- Stefan, The Vampire Diaries

18. Ethan Hawke- Edward, Daybreakers

17. Aidan Turner- Mitchell, Being Human

16. Kellan Lutz- Emmett Cullen, Twilight

15. Jason Patric- Michael, The Lost Boys

14. Alex O’Loughlin- Mick St. John, Moonlight

13. Tom Cruise- Lestat de Lioncourt, Interview with the Vampire

12. Ian Somerhalder- Damon Salvatore, The Vampire Diaries

11. Gerard Butler- Dracula, Dracula 2000

10. Stephen Moyer- Bill Compton, True Blood

9. Wesley Snipes- Blade, Blade

8. Jason Dohring- Josef Kostan, Moonlight

7. Brad Pitt- Louis de Pointe du Lac, Interview with the Vampire

6. Kiefer Sutherland- David, The Lost Boys

5. David Boreanaz- Angel, Buffy the Vampre Slayer/Angel

4. Antonio Banderas- Armand, Interview with the Vampire

3. Alexander Skarsgard- Eric Northman, True Blood

2. Robert Pattinson- Edward Cullen, Twilight

1. James Marsters- Spike, Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel

Their reasoning behind Bill being relatively low on the list is that, good looks and old-fashioned manners aside, he is not very interesting. And he doesn’t dress well. There are not enough words in the English language to disagree with that as strongly as I would like to. First of all, Bill can never go wrong with a henley and some tight pants. Or with no clothes at all. Also, how is it not interesting to have a vampire who is tortured by what he is?! He was turned against his will simply because he was a good man that Lorena found worthy to be her companion. He almost staked himself to stop from being a monster like his maker wanted him to be. He fell in love with Sookie and has found his way back to his humanity. He’s still a vampire and flawed. So sometimes he slips up and does something wrong, but he has someone who loves him and forgives him because she knows that he would sacrifice himself to protect her. If that’s not layered, I don’t know what is!

Eric earned a higher spot on the list because he is more of a bad boy, but why that automatically makes him hotter is beyond me.

On the one hand we have a whiney, questionable dresser, who plays Wii. On the other hand, we have a powerful, leather-wearing, club owning badass who can tell the other hand what to do.

This is clearly a matter of opinion, and the debate between Bill and Eric among True Blood fans will never be resolved. We’ve all got to agree to disagree on that one. But what we can all agree on is how crazy we are about this show. It has two great guys to fantasize over, both of whom should be higher on a list of hottest vampires than #10 and #3. And this is coming from someone who also watches Buffy and loves Spike and Angel, but seriously- True Blood is by nature sexier. Thoughts?

SOURCE: guidetobeautyschools.com

(Photo credits: HBO Inc.)

Stephen Moyer on Vampires and Love Scenes

Stephen Moyer, True Blood’s darkly handsome Bill Compton, shows off his lighter, humorous personality in real life. In Now Magazine’s “Cheeky Questions” feature, he answered several questions about getting naked for work.

In general, Stephen sees nudity as a regular part of acting because it’s a regular part of life:

“When you’re a young actor starting out, usually the young character is the love interest. I’ve done that for 15 years and it’s always like: how long before I get my kit off? It’s a novelty when I get to keep my clothes on! But we all make love, we all kiss, we all have sexual relationships with people and it’s funny to me that people are surprised that those things feature in dramas because it would be strange to me if they didn’t.”

The specific scene that had fans talking was the graveyard scene in Season one’s “The Fourth Man in the Fire.” Stephen laughs about the reality behind that scene, which had him emerging from the ground covered in dirt:

“That was me in the earth–it wasn’t a butt double! I hadn’t really thought about it, to be honest–I was too busy lifting weights in the gym! But you get earth in bits you wouldn’t want it to get into!”

Fans were also curious about what made him fall in love with Anna, and as always Stephen responded with great praise for his fiancee:

“She’s sharp, she’s funny, she’s brilliant, she’s incredibly talented and she’s an ultimate professional. She’s probably the most straight-talking woman I’ve ever met and she’s caring, generous, and kind. And I think she’s beautiful.”

For their intimate scenes together, they are obviously very comfortable with each other. This gives them the freedom to add some variety to how they film those moments between Sookie and Bill. Above all, they want it to be natural:

“I would love to think that, as a professional, if I have to have a love scene with somebody else it would be just as good! There’s a scene in Season two in which Sookie and Bill consume each other in bed. We’d done naked blood sex and romantic sex so we thought: ‘How could we make this look different?’ “

It is certainly no surprise that Stephen would be thrilled about his job! He gushed over how working on True Blood is a dream. The characters are deeply layered, even the vampires. It’s not just a one-dimensional supernatural show. They are able to balance many tones. Comedy, romance, drama, violence, social meaning–True Blood has everything.

Stephen joked that if he could bite someone’s neck, it would be musician Tom Waits:

“If I could get a little bit of his blood it could do something crazy to me…he’s my all-time hero.”

This interview is just another example of what a fun guy Stephen is, and how much he enjoys being part of True Blood and talking about it with the fans who sometimes send him strange items in the mail.

“I get everything from knickers to plasters for covering neck bites.  I was recently send a photo of a naked German lady lying down next to her white horse?”

SOURCE: nowmagazine.co.uk via confuzzledreel.blogspot.com

(Photo Credit: Chris Hatcher / PR Photos via exposay.com)

True Blood Season 3 Spoilers: Alan Ball and the Writers Reveal

Alan Ball, writers Raelle Tucker and Alexander Woo spoke with SciFiWire recently and revealed 12 major spoilers points for season 3 of True Blood.  So get ready True Blood fans for some major spoilers news. Remeber if you do not want to know DO NOT read any further.

Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer): Alan confirmed that the storyline of Bill’s kidnapping will last for”about six episodes.” However we don’t know if that means that it will be back-to-back from episodes 1-6 or will be spread out throughout the season.  This is one fans are definitely going to be talking about.

Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell): As stated before, in season 3 Sam will be busy trying to find his family which Raelle Tucker will get to write their characters a lot in episode 2. She states that:

“I’m getting to write Sam’s family, which is a lot of fun, and, really, I feel really satisfying as a character arc,” she said. “I really am glad that he’s taking this journey and he’s learning about himself. I find that interesting. They aren’t the brightest people, maybe. At least they appear that way. They’re fairly dysfunctional, but like anybody else, they have their good things about them and not so good things. They’re still getting to know each other. Sam’s still getting to know them and so are we.”

Werewolves:  Alan states that the werewolves in season 3 are going to be just wolves.  They will be people who can transforms into wolves who will be bigger and stronger with their eyes glowing orange a little bit.

Supernatural World:  Alexander Woo explains that season 3 is not only about the supernatural world of vampires, werewolves and shapshifters but he is also excited about the expanding world that will occur in the next season.

“The entire world is going to get a lot bigger,” Woo said. “Not only the human world, but in Sookie’s eyes, she’s going to see the whole supernatural world. Luckily, since this show is through Sookie’s eyes, as an audience we’ll get to see a much larger supernatural world.”

Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin):  Raelle states that Sookie’s powers will expand in season 3 to not only include her telepathy but her expanding powers such as her glowing hands.  “I think that Sookie is conscious of her abilities more this season than she’s been, and she’s questioning them more,” Tucker said. “We’re going to be exploring that more this season.”

Vampire King of Mississippi (Denis O’Hare):  Alan states that the Vampire King of Mississippi in season three will be a contrast to Sophie-Anne, the Vampire Queen of Louisiana (Evan Rachel Wood).

“He’s older,” Ball said. “He’s much more mature. He’s much more methodical and grounded. She’s kind of crazy. To me, she’s kind of like Paris Hilton/Lindsay Lohan, where she has a very short attention span and she’s very, very egomaniacal and very self-obsessed and doesn’t really think about her actions whereas the vampire king is very much an adult. He has an agenda. He has things he wants to achieve. I think he’s much more formidable than she is.”

Jason Stackhouse (Ryan Kwanten):  This season Jason seems to get a little break from all the mayhem he endured in season 2.  According to Raelle this season will focus on Jason NOT getting into trouble and staying out of trouble’s way.  This will be interesting to see how it plays out considering Jason was the one who shot Eggs at the end of season 3.

Queen Sophie-Anne (Evan Rachel Wood):  Evan will be returning in season 3 in her role as Queen Sophie-Anne who is engaged in selling “V” which may get her in trouble in some way.

“Well, Sophie-Anne, when last we left her, she was sort of behind this selling of “V” as a recreational drug on the streets pretty much,” Ball said. “That’s not something a vampire authority figure should be doing. If higher-up vampire authority figures figure that out, they’re not going to be happy.”

Biker Gang:  In season three we will see the introduction of a biker gang called Coot’s F–k You Crew which Raelle states that the new characters are still evolving and won’t be what they appear to be.  As Raelle explains this biker gang is very mysterious and has been around much longer then alot of people think.  Raelle wouldn’t elaborate any further, simply stating that “I don’t want to say too much about them right now because I think that we are in the early stages of figuring that out.”

Tommy Mickens:  Alexander Woo informed SciFiWire that he is writing the material for this new character which he states “will make a huge impact on our favorite characters.” Without giving too much away Woo states that Tommy Mickens will play a “very prominently in the emotional life of at first one, and then later several other of our characters. He’ll be the first domino to push the rest.”

Headgear:  Now this one I must admit has me wondering what the writers are referring to. Whether they are referring to actual headgear to be wore by the characters or a metaphor for a protective shell that the characters will place around themselves. Raelle explains helmets became a joke in the writer’s room with the writers becoming aware they were relying too much on protective headgear.

“There’ve been several moments that we’ve been pitching things and thought, ‘Oh, well, maybe she could be wearing a helmet and that would protect her. Maybe he could wear a helmet in that scene,’” Tucker recalled. “Suddenly we realized we had a whole bunch of characters wearing helmets for no particular reason. So we thought oh, that’s the theme of the season.”

Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgard):  With the Eric fans demanding more screen time for him and a big romantic link between Eric and Sookie, the writers state that does not occur until much later in Charlaine Harris‘ books .   As Raelle states:

“You know what’s funny is that he’s in the first two books, he’s a fairly minor character in Sookie’s universe,” Tucker said. “There’s a lot of fan pressure that they’re supposed to be this big romantic thing, which actually in Charlaine [Harris]’s books doesn’t happen until much, much further down. I think if we did that, we’d probably bore them all to death. I think part of the magic of Eric is some of the mystery of Eric and the inaccessibility of Eric. I think you don’t want to turn them into the nice romantic love interest who’s in every scene. I think his danger is important so not just throwing him up whenever somebody wants to see his bare chest is actually a more disciplined approach.”

So there you have it, the latest spoilers.  So now lets start speculating as we wait for the return of Season 3 of True Blood.

SOURCE: SciFiWire.com

(Photo credit: HBO Inc.)

Stephen Moyer Talks True Blood with The Mirror

Stephen Moyer recently talked to The Mirror about True Blood. The Mirror traveled to New Orleans to meet the hunky vampire and get a first hand taste of the southern culture which the show revolves around. The Mirror asked Stephen what he felt were the themes of True Blood. Stephen answered saying:

“I think the show represents many different things. You could watch it and think it’s a camp, frothy, sexy thriller. But equally it could be a satirical comment on society. Bill’s a vampire, an outsider that arrives in town and is ostracised, but he’s trying to be a decent man.”

Stephen was then asked if he felt it was easier filming love scenes since him and his co-star, Anna Paquin, are a real-life couple.

“I would like to think that, as a professional, if I have to have a love scene with somebody else it would be just as good!”

This led to Stephen being asked what it exactly was that made him fall for Anna. Stephen explained:

“She’s sharp, funny, brilliant, incredibly talented and an ultimate professional. She’s probably the most straight-talking woman I’ve ever met and she’s caring, generous and kind – I can’t say enough! And I think she’s beautiful.”

The Mirror concluded the interview by asking Stephen if he felt pressure as an actor to stay looking fit. Stephen answered by saying:

“I think the thing is that when you’re working against someone like Ryan (Kwanten), who is an insane body fascist, I’ve got no choice but to look as good as I can. I’m never going to look like him but, equally, when I’m 60 I don’t want to look at the DVDs and see my flabby belly.”

Well Stephen I don’t think you will have to worry about that!! We look forward to seeing more of that fit body in season 3 of True Blood!

SOURCE:  The Mirror

Photo Credit: HBO Inc.

True Blood Season 3: Spoilers and Casting News

True Blood’s third season won’t be showing up on our television screens for another 8 months or so, but filming begins in early December. This means that we can all be very excited for whatever news comes out to see what might be revealed. A casting call for the first few episodes of Season three hints at several characters that will be introduced.

What’s going to happen to Bill?! He’s going to be spending some time with an “intensely beautiful” male vampire named Talbot, described as cheerfully talkative and sarcastic, where Bill will be forced to stay as a “guest”. Also listed is a character named Cooter, aka “Coot,” the menacing leader of a biker gang. He and his crew (Louie, Jimmy, and Gus) apparently like to stab Bill repeatedly and feed off of him in order to get high on V!!!  An interesting side note is the introduction of a character named Olivia who is described as an elderly woman in her 80’s who lives in a house in the middle of nowhere who mistakes Bill as her son.  Now if according to the spoiler information above, if Bill is being held captive by these thugs, how does he end up meeting this old woman in the middle of nowhere?

How will Sam’s search for his family go? One notice calls for a series regular to play Tommy Mickens. Aged 18-25, he will be dirty but good-looking, with a big scar running across his face. Tommy works at an Arkansas tire depot and comes from a family with a bad reputation for being in debt. When Sam approaches him, he hides his identity. The role will require some backside nudity, so raise your hand if you think shapeshifter! There are also a couple of characters mentioned that Sam meets in Arkansas and asks about his family.

Is Eric pining for Sookie? This character description would suggest not! Yvetta is a gorgeous Eastern European young woman who gets a job dancing at Fangtasia and has a sexual relationship with Eric. The actress must be comfortable with nudity.

How does Jason’s shooting of Eggs affect him? Two college girls named Jen and Missy spend the night with Jason. They try to get him excited for some threesome fun by making out with each other, but he doesn’t seem very enthusiastic. Probably haunted by what he did, he admits that he can’t stop picturing them without bullet holes in their heads.

What will Tara’s emotional roller coaster bring her to next? Apparently, a sexy vampire named Franklin Mott. “Tall, dark, and handsome,” he has an immediate connection with Tara. He meets her at bar and later comes to her aid against a couple of racist rednecks. Also a pastor tries to comfort Tara and help bring her closer to her mother.

Who is going to be Lafayette’s love interest? Although this character is not specified as having an encounter with Lafayette, his description makes him seem like a good candidate! Jesus Velasquez is an attractive Latino male nurse in his 20s-30s. Taking care of people in a nursing home, this young man is good-natured even in the face of occasional racist remarks from his elderly patients. If he is in fact the one that will have a relationship with Lafayette, wouldn’t that be a great contrast to our flamboyant, outspoken fry cook?

It’s good to remember that not every spoiler turns out to be true as shows sometimes like to be tricky and throw fans off by leaking false information. We will have to wait and see what Alan Ball has planned. But this seems like an intriguing group of characters! I can already feel the suspense building.

SOURCE: spoilertv.com

(Photo credits: HBO Inc.)

Charlaine Harris Talks About Her Books And True Blood

Charlaine Harris, the gifted author of the Sookie Stackhouse novels in which the hit HBO True Blood series is based upon, discussed her heroine Sookie, the real-life romance of Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer, and watching her books come to life.

When asked about the Sookie Stackhouse Mysteries, Charlaine Harris said she decided to write a book combining mystery, science fiction, and romance–clinched on not sticking to the rules.

She also admitted that she shares certain traits with Sookie,

“Well, we’re both loyal, but she’s a lot braver than I am. She’s pretty much like I wish I was. She’s polite but direct. I like to think that’s me, too.”

And to top that, she feels a pleasant sense of obligation to the people who brought her stories to life, particularly Anna Paquin (Sookie) and Stephen Moyer (Bill) especially now that the duo are getting married which she felt strangely responsible for.

As for the show itself, Charlaine felt proud and excited about seeing the town she created come to life, fondly exclaiming:

“I had lunch in Merlotte’s in one of the booths. With Alan.”

When asked for details about the third season, Charlaine simply said:

“The third season will be the third book, but the show may go off on its own at any point.”

Though crossroads may be difficult in person’s life, for Charlaine the crossroads she experienced helped create Sookie, Bill, Sam, and all the other characters we love in Bon Temps. Furthermore, the books have spawned a hit show on HBO, causing a new mass of fans for Charlaine’s books and characters.

If you are a fan and interested in Charlaine Harris, she will attend the Houston Chronicle Book and Author Dinner on November 1 at Hilton Americas-Houston, 1600 Lamar, Houston Texas.  If you wish to be at the 30th Book and Author Dinner, visit www.chron.com for more details and ticket information.

SOURCE: chron.com

(Photo credit: zimbio.com)

Stephen Moyer Will Be Heating Up South African TV Screens

Alan Ball’s hit HBO TV vampire series True Blood returns for season two on  South Africa’s M-Net on Tuesday, October 27, 2009.  Based on Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire Mysteries, True Blood is picking momentum with viewers in the UK as Season One continues to air on the UK’s Channel 4. In the US, Season 2 premiered on June 14 2009 and was the most watched HBO show since The Sopranos series finale in June 2007. According to HBO, True Blood averaged 12.4 million viewers per episode, when measured across various viewing platforms, up 39% from last season. The popularity of the Louisiana vampires is undeniable; they have truly captivated the hearts and imagination of millions viewers in North America, South America, UK, Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

At the heart of this award winning HBO series is the undeniable romantic tension between Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) and vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer).  The 40-year-old Stephen Moyer, who plays the 173-year-old vampire Bill Compton in True Blood, recently sat down with reporter Theresa Smith to discuss his character and the themes presented and developed in the show.

Part of the reason for the success of the show is, as Stephen explained, the casting of such an international group with Stephen splitting his time between England and the US, Anna from New Zealand/Canada, Alexander Skarsgard from Sweden and other cast members from across the US and Australia. As Stephen highlights:

“Alan (Ball) is brilliant at casting. One of the things he did was create a central core consisting of people who have almost all worked in the theatre. So we’re all much open to playing, creating and throwing things into the mix.”

Stephen provides an in-depth look at the qualities of his character, Bill Compton and the struggle that he sees his character is trying to deal with not only on the outside but also within himself.

“You’ve got this romantic, old-fashioned gentleman who also happens to be a vampire. And the audience has to wonder about that conflict within him and wonder what he is capable of [...] Actually, one of the reasons I love this job so much is because we are playing with so many ideas. Like his costumes–the costume designer will come to me and say, ‘How about we try this?’ And it will be a little thing like having his collars turned up on a certain jacket that gives a hint of the Confederate soldier, just a little echo of part of his past.”

Stephen wasn’t initially familiar with the Southern Vampire Series and read them only after he got the part of Bill Compton. Stephen describes vampire Bill as a conflicted individual; a vampire who’s desperately attempting to mainstream and be a decent character but who is at the core also a killer:

“When I began playing the role Alan wrote, he (Bill) warms up throughout the season in a way the character in the books doesn’t. Sookie in the books also flits from one romance to another and if you did that with a lead female character, she would not be as virtuous as they wanted her to be. So Alan made the decision to let her have the attachment to Bill [...] But he’s (Bill) still a vampire who kills.”

Fans of True Blood often forget that Stephen is a British actor with a decidedly British accent who can deliver a convincing and hilarious Cockney accent. A thorough bred actor, Stephen was helped by a voice coach in his delivery of vampire Bill’s Southern drawl.

One question that many of his fans have wondered for quite some time is why he changed his name.  Stephen, whose original name was Stephen Emery, revealed in the interview that he changed his name because he didn’t want to be known as the actor playing a horse’s ass. Stephen received his Equity card for his role in the pantomine Oliver in the same week as another actor of the same name. This other Stephen, according to our Stephen, was

“playing the back end of a horse, I swear to God, it’s true”

When asked what it is about British actors that they portray vampires so convincingly, Stephen explains that the classical training British actors receive in drama schools helps actors immerse themselves in a specific role to deliver convincing characterizations, and in the case of True Blood, the training Stephen received in drama school has helped him convey the age and experience of vampire Bill.

Stephen also indicates his appreciation of how True Blood uses the vampire genre as a platform to discuss meaningful socio-political issues, albeit in a light-hearted manner:

“Alan (Ball) takes this idea of the outsider coming into the world and how everybody reacts to that outsider. The metaphor is about someone who is a pariah in society trying to prove he is not what people think he is and this can be a metaphor for homosexuality, the black and white civil rights movement, or any minority that you want to bring to the table.”

Stephen adds that one of his favorite thing about True Blood is how each episode ends on a cliffhanger, adding:

“I think Alan is a very clever film-maker because he put in undercurrents of information in the show. It can also be a rollicking funny thriller, great fast television.”

Season 2 of True Blood has now completed its run on HBO in the North America with Season 3 due out in June 2010. Of Season 3, Alan Ball hints:

“After last season you would think things would sort of return to normal – but no, that’s not going to happen!” No, there’s just as much weird stuff out there, and we’re going to meet some werewolves for the first time; we’re going to find out some roles vampires played in history, which is interesting and shocking and funny. It’s more of the same.”

While the relationship between Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) and Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) will continue to be the heart of True Blood’s narrative arc, Alan Ball explains that some of the supporting cast will be receiving more screen time in Season 3.  As Alan Ball explains:

“Definitely Eric has broken out and is a big important character now. Jessica and Hoyt are still trying to deal with everything that happened to them, and Arlene and Terry are going to have a little bit more of a life and more of a presence on the show.”

Season 2 of HBO’s True Blood will premiere on M-Net tomorrow, Tuesday, October 27, 2009.

Source: Tonight

Photo credit: HBO Inc.

Stephen Moyer Talks About Bill Compton With The UK Mirror

True Blood is picking up momentum with viewers in the UK as Season one continues to air on Channel 4. The Brits seem to be very proud of the show’s success because of the rise to stardom of their countryman, Stephen Moyer. It is only with his subtle but powerful portrayal of 173-year old vampire Bill Compton that fans across the world have fallen in love with Stephen. It is perhaps an understatement to say that his life has changed as a result of True Blood!

In an interview with the UK Mirror, Stephen discusses how Bill came to life. Going back to his childhood, he remembers being drawn to the art of performing:

“My aunt and uncle were holiday camp entertainers and one of my earliest memories is going to the Isle of Wight every summer and watching them perform. My uncle Tony was my absolute idol and he used to do these fantastic impressions – I can remember him doing Elvis. And they also did magic. I think a little bit of that stayed with me. And then I started doing plays at school and loved it.”

The role on True Blood happened after some disappointment for Stephen in his television work, which made him determined to stay in England. Luckily, he listened to his agent and read Alan Ball’s script for the pilot episode. Taping an audition, meeting with Alan and Anna, and being confirmed by HBO to play Vampire Bill all happened in the span of two days. The chemistry between him and Anna was instant. Professionally, he loved working with her, and that energy between them translated into the sizzling Sookie-Bill relationship onscreen, and romance with Anna off-screen:

“From the first moment I met her, the moment we sat together on the sofa doing a scene for Alan, I knew we’d get along brilliantly. I used to teach kids drama and I used to say, ‘There’s no failure, it doesn’t exist. You can do whatever you want and if it doesn’t work it doesn’t matter because you’ll be able to use something from it.’ And with Anna we both sat there and said, ‘Let’s play with this.’ So on the first day we met each other we were walking around working the scenes together. ‘What if I do this? Or how about this?’ It’s an absolute dream to work with someone like that.”

Stephen is so invested in the character of Bill because of his emotional back story and his complicated moral struggle:

“You’ve got this romantic, old-fashioned gentleman who also happens to be a vampire. And the audience has to wonder about that conflict within him and wonder what he is capable of.”

The existence of all of those qualities within Bill is also reflected in his appearance. Stephen appreciates the attention to detail on the show, like in the meaning behind his wardrobe:

“When you first see him he looks like your classic vampire – he’s dark, he’s moody, and he’s brooding. But in episode 2 (of Season one) we tried to show that he smartened himself up a bit – he changed his hair, the way he dresses – because he’s trying to make Sookie and her family feel more at ease with him. Actually, one of the reasons I love this job so much is because we are playing with so many ideas. Like his costumes–the costume designer will come to me and say, ‘How about we try this?’ And it will be a little thing like having his collars turned up on a certain jacket that gives a hint of the Confederate soldier, just a little echo of part of his past.”

And, of course, given that he is portraying a vampire, fangs are a staple of his job description. Stephen says that he has three sets of fangs. They shoot the scenes twice, once normally and once with the teeth in. The moment that the fangs pop out or retract is a CGI effect. They are, as one would expect, quite sharp, and awkward at first:

“There were times especially early on when we were still getting used to them, when the guys playing vampires would sit around between takes and we’d be talking about football and they’d say, ‘OK, camera’s rolling, everyone put your teeth in…’ “

After being asked the question so many times, Stephen laughs about the appeal of vampires to pop culture:

“You’ve got immortality, you’ve got blood and you’ve got sharp, pointed teeth making a hole and sucking from it–that’s sexy, man.”

Nobody really knows what it is about vampires that fans love so much, but whenever the trend starts to fade, I doubt that True Blood will lose its popularity. The story offers so much more meaningful stuff to care about. But the hot vampires certainly help!

SOURCE: mirror.co.uk

(Photo credit: HBO Inc.)

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